Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley Hailed as Hero After Fort Hood Shooting

Prayers and thanks flooded the apparent Twitter feed of Sgt. Kimberly Munley, the civilian police officer hailed as a hero for stopping the shooting rampage at Fort Hood.

Associated Press

Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley, in a 2009 photo obtained from her Twitter account

One admirer sent a “bear hug.” She “is one outstanding brave cop!” another wrote. And from a third: “thank you for stopping that mad man.” The Twitter feed includes what appears to be a photo of Sgt. Munley.

Sgt. Munley, 34 years old, was credited by Army officials with firing the bullets that brought down Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who allegedly opened fire in the base’s Soldier Readiness Processing Center on Thursday afternoon.

Survivors described the scene as chaotic: the lone gunman spraying bullets in all directions, unarmed soldiers falling, screaming, scrambling to respond. Many soldiers ripped off their uniforms to use as tourniquets; others ignored their own injuries to help those more gravely wounded.

Lt. Gen. Bob Cone, the top commander at Fort Hood, said Friday that Sgt. Munley and her partner responded within three minutes of reported gunfire. Gen. Cone said Sgt. Munley shot the gunman four times despite being shot herself. “It was an amazing and an aggressive performance by this police officer,” he said.

Sgt. Munley is in stable condition.

Sgt. Andrew Hagerman, a military police officer on the base, saw Sgt. Munley being loaded into an ambulance moments after the shooting died down. Nearby, Maj. Hasan, bare-chested and wearing military fatigue pants, was being treated on the pavement.

“She’s an outstanding officer,” Sgt. Hagerman said.

As word of her role spread, Sgt. Munley acquired ever more online fans. Many cited the bio in the Twitter feed believed to belong to the police officer, in which she wrote: “I live a good life… a hard one, but I go to sleep peacefully @ night knowing that I may have made a difference in someone’s life.”

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